Washington State defeated the Grambling State Tigers in front a sparse Beasley Coliseum crowd Wednesday night. The Cougars gave a lot of players significant minutes, as the Tigers were just simply overmatched.
There isn't a whole lot that can be read from this game. As I said in the game thread, Grambling may be the worst team in the country. The good news is that Washington State didn't make them look any better than that. It was nice for Bone to be able to use the bench throughout the game and not have to worry about putting it in jeopardy.
Patrick Simon was able to knock down a couple open threes, after air-balling one in the first half. He hasn't played much this season, but he would assuredly see more minutes if he could consistently knock down the long ball. One of the guys getting minutes ahead of him, D.J. Shelton, had another excellent night in terms of getting to the line. I love the way he attacks the rim, and he uses his body to draw fouls well. Tonight he even was able to cash in on his free throw attempts, going 6-8.
Faisal Aden didn't have his usual stellar game against lower-level competition. He struggled from the field, going 5-16 for just 12 points. Brock Motum checked in with a double-double. He was dominant on the offensive glass, as he was just bigger than the Grambling front line. Reggie Moore didn't take many shots, but finished with seven assists.
Washington State will be back on Friel Court this Saturday as they take on Eastern Washington. That game will be televised live on Root Sports NW at 3:30 PT.